


Vivified Vestige

by NuriaSchnee



Category: V for Vendetta - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Getting Back Together, Grief/Mourning, Identity Reveal, Mental Health Issues, Reconciliation, Romance, Skin Issues, Soulmates, Using my own canon from Veritas Vincit because why not, universe altered
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:55:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23285860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NuriaSchnee/pseuds/NuriaSchnee
Summary: When Evey met Victor, it didn't take long for her to know he was the love of her life. However, his revolutionary tendencies got him killed by the forces he tried to destroy. After losing him, she felt even more consumed by the darkness taming the country.Five years after his death, Evey is saved twice by a masked man who calls himself V, who is incredibly similar to her dead boyfriend.
Relationships: Evey Hammond & V, Evey Hammond/V
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	1. These violent delights have violent ends and in their triump die, like fire and powder

Evey could remember perfectly the first time she saw him. And, with the same consistency, she could rekindle the last.

When it happened, she had started working at the BTN only a few weeks ago and detested the job already. Not that she had a lot of options; she hadn’t had access to higher education, so had to endure that shitty work for the sake of her survival. Her life had been a complete mess the last decade: her brother died, her parents imprisoned due to their activism activities and she spent the rest of her teen years in a minors’ centre. When she turned eighteen and was able to escape that place, she had to make an effort to stay afloat. At that moment she was twenty-two, already feeling really old and tired. However, she kept going on, although always feeling like she was stepping on eggshells.

That country was hell. She knew it. She had lived its horrors for years. However, she kept trying to wake up every morning and live through it, even if harbouring a constant fear. That was why, even if she hated the constant swaying of going to buy coffees and clean messes, she advanced.

It was a sunny morning of spring, although her turn was being so stressful that day that she didn’t even notice. She had exited the BTN’s building and crossed the street to enter the nearest cafeteria. The bartender greeted her as always, with a smile and a joyful tone. He always joked with her about how many coffees she bought during the day and it always made her smile. She made her purchase fast and got out of there, rushing to return to her workplace.

She looked at both sides before crossing, waiting between to parked cars. Evey was convinced that she had made sure there wasn’t any car coming. However, the horn hit her eardrums after two steps on the road. Paralysed, with her blood freezing, her last thought was that she was about to die.

Something dragged her backwards, two arms wrapping around her, the coffees slipping from her hands and falling. Another horn. She breathed out, her eyes tightly closed.

“Hasn’t even slowed down,” a deep, husky voice grunted behind her, outraged.

The embrace around her loosened, freeing her, although a pair of hands kept on her shoulders. She was shaking, realizing finally what had been about to happen, and that somebody had saved her. Her saviour turned her around slowly and she felt a bit more calmed, enough to open her eyes at last.

Before her, there was a handsome young man, with a pair of intense blue eyes examining her with utter worry. She felt breathless again, facing him. He was more than a head taller than her and, even if he wasn’t much corpulent, his shoulders were broad and his arms strong. He had the kind of features that have a hint of ethereality, a strong jaw that was masculine but softened with the thinness of his nose and brows. He had a shiny black hair, long enough to be tamed behind his head, resting casually in a little tie on his shoulder, its colour contrasting wildly with his pale skin.

He pressed his lips on a thin line, furrowing slightly. “Are you alright?” He asked her concerned before her shock. “Are you hurt?” He said.

“No,” she whispered and moved at last, shaking her head slightly and straightening her pose. “I’m alright.”

He took his hands away from her, sighing in relief. “You should be more careful,” he warned her with softness. “People here drive like crazy.”

She nodded slightly, still looking at the man for a few seconds, before realizing her hands were empty. Gasping, she turned her head to a side, staring at the smashed coffees on the road’s floor.

“Oh, God…” She muttered, knowing she would have to buy them again, this time with her own money. “I have to go,” she said, furrowing, a lot of thoughts crossing her mind at once. “Before my manager kills me. And… Thank you so much,” Evey muttered, feeling a mix of embarrassment and gratitude running through her. “I would be smashed by now, if it wasn’t for you.”

“It’s nothing. I merely played my part,” he smiled brightly, making her heart shrunk and her body vibrate at his deep voice. “Would you mind if I accompany you to rebuy these coffees?”

“Oh, you don’t have to,” she stuttered, realizing of the briefcase on the floor, near his feet. He was probably heading to his work when he saved her and she didn’t want to delay him more. “I’m sure you have somewhere to be right now.”

“I don’t think my students will cry if I’m a little late,” he sniggered and made her smile unavoidably. “I could use a coffee this morning, as well.”

“Alright, then,” Evey muttered, surprised by the gentleness of that man.

Usually, she would have interpreted the situation as a try to flirt with her. She had had enough bad experiences with men to recognize those situations. However, she wasn’t getting that vibe from him at all. Everything she was getting from him was politeness.

He picked his briefcase from the floor and offered her a hand to get back to the pavement, even if it wasn’t necessary. She grabbed his hand, feeling a rush of electricity through his soft skin. He smiled again.

“So,” she said softly as they started to walk towards the cafeteria door, “you are a teacher.”

“Yes,” he answered joyfully. “I’m part of the English department at the University.”

“Wow,” Evey muttered. “Aren’t you… Too young for that?”

He laughed, opening the door for her to enter. “I guess. Although, modesty apart, I’ve been an excellent student. I worked hard to get a place as an investigator there.”

“Good for you, then,” she said, very impressed. “I work at the BTN. Not that exciting, but well…”

“Oh,” he muttered as they approached the bar, a hint of disappointment lingering in his voice. “Do you like it?” He asked. “Your job, I mean.”

“It’s not bad,” she first said, facing the bar, and regretted instantly, turning to look into his lovely eyes. “It’s bad. Very bad, actually. If it wasn’t because I have a few nice co-workers, I’d have rotted in a corner, somewhere.”

He breathed out, as if relieved. “Why do you keep working there, then?”

Evey sighed, the tiredness hitting her. “If I don’t want to end up living under a bridge, I have to.”

At her response, he hummed, understanding. When they reached the bar, the bartender looked at her wide-eyed and joked about how fast they had sent her back for coffee. She dismissed the truth, not wanting to remember her almost accident right then, and made her order. When he went to prepare the coffees, Evey turned around to the man again, and she realized something.

“What’s your name, by the way?” She asked, curious.

“Victor,” he answered with a polite smile. “Victor Garber. Yours?”

“Evey Hammond.”

“Evey,” he repeated, giving it a thought. “It’s a beautiful name.”

She blushed a bit, starting to feel a tingling on her palms. “Thanks.”

Evey had the coffees ready soon after and Victor accompanied her to the door of the BTN. There, they stared at each other for a long moment, feeling reluctant to say goodbye, as much as strange because of it.

“Thank you again for saving me,” Evey said, in a brief attempt to prolong the goodbye. “It’s been nice meeting you.”

“I can say the same,” Victor smiled. “Make sure to stay safe.”

“I will.”

“Alright, then. I suspect I can go now,” he said. “Goodbye, Evey.”

“Bye, Victor.”

Smiling, he turned around and walked away from her. Suddenly, the day seemed sunnier for both of them, and she didn’t care if her bosses would call on her for being late. She wondered if she would see him again someday, although the most probable thing was that their paths would never cross again.

Little did she know one year later, when she got out of work at night, Victor would be waiting for her, backed on his car, with a bright smile and a gaze full of love. Also grinning, she approached him, rushing, colliding against him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her lips against his with crushing passion.

After their first meeting, it passed a month before they saw each other again. She had been hanging out with a friend of the BTN at a mall and, when they said goodbye and she was crossing the place to arrive at the exit, she bumped into him, who was getting out of the library there. They chatted for a few minutes, laughing at the situation, and he asked her if she wanted to have a coffee with him, right then. She had nothing more to do and still had time before curfew, so she agreed.

The casual meeting evolved fast into a date and they ended up exchanging numbers. He called him to hang out again a few days after, and after a series of marvellous dates, they started dating.

A couple of months into their relationship, they both shared their deepest secrets. They both had noticed there was more at their backs than what could be seen at first sight. She told him how her life had been and he did the same.

Evey learned that day that her boyfriend, with just twenty-seven years, had suffered indescribable horrors, just as she had. Victor lost his father due to cancer when he was just a kid and his mother, a teacher specialized in his same field, had to work very hard to raise him and his sister, Allana, three years older than him. They always struggled with money, but were able to survive. When he was fifteen, his mother was raped and murdered in her way home, by a group seeking to punish her. She always had been very fearless to open up about her beliefs during her classes. She was a convinced anarchist and fought against the situation how she could, through teaching. Victor shared those beliefs as well and his need to fight increased when their mother died. Allana had always argued with them for it, scared to lose them, and her fears worsened after what happened. Victor told her she still screamed at him sometimes, for following their mother’s steps.

When he told Evey the story of his life, she didn’t grasp completely what her boyfriend was doing, how strong his beliefs were. She listened and understood him when declared himself an anarchist. It wasn’t the first time she had known somebody that wasn’t subdued to the tyranny going on in the country, so it didn’t surprise her completely.

It wasn’t a few months after that when she felt she was staring into the void, dancing on its edge, a night she discovered a letter on the counter of his apartment, with a date and a place, calling him for a meeting to discuss the “next step”. Evey realized right away that he was part of something, that he was acting on his beliefs for real. She was scared, scared because she had lived that before, with her parents, and she wasn’t sure she could go through it again.

They argued that night. Actually, she blurted out a furious monologue while he tried to explain himself with politeness and a calmed speech that made her even more irritated. She discovered a side of Victor that night that made her heart break. He believed firmly that the only way to free that country was breaking it before, erasing every head that manipulated the system. He said those things without hesitating and it frightened her. Victor admitted he was teaming up with a revolutionary group, his intentions to fight for everybody’s freedom very clear in his words.

Evey practically fled his apartment with her pulse accelerated and a layer of cold sweat covering her skin. He didn’t follow and she was grateful for it. She needed space, time to accept what she had seen and heard. At that point, she was already completely in love with him and the thought of breaking up hurt like hell. However, the thought of Victor taken away under a black bag and lost forever terrified her even more. She wondered why he wasn’t scared of that. Wasn’t he thinking of how her sister would feel if something happened to him? How Evey would feel?

A few days after that argument, he appeared. Victor was waiting for her when she got out of work and asked if they could talk. She accepted and he took her to her apartment. She was grateful that he decided to have that talk in her comfort zone and not in his. They talked it out and opened up about their points of view. He said he wouldn’t retrocede in his fight, precisely because he cared about his loved ones. He didn’t want Allana and Evey to live in fear, to be in an invisible cage for the rest of their lives. He told her she didn’t have to follow him on that; he wouldn’t ask such a thing, even if believed it was the right path. He also told her she could break up with him, if that was what she wanted.

“I would never force you into something you don’t want to,” he said, although there were tears in his eyes, wanting to fall. “I’ve never asked Allana in twelve years to follow me, either.”

Evey felt trapped either way, but not because of him. She wanted desperately to stay with him, to give in to that love, although she suspected it would be her downfall, that he would make her suffer. As if she hadn’t learned a thing in her life, she stayed with Victor. She had fallen in love with that furiously intelligent, charming, suave man and felt like she couldn’t help it.

Their relationship didn’t feel like a rollercoaster at all, as she thought in that moment. Victor was definitely doing his revolution related things in the most secret way. He never talked about them, knowing his girlfriend still worried over the matter. At first, she was relieved that he didn’t.

However, as time passed and she knew him more, a flame started to burn inside her. Just his presence ignited something her. Suddenly, she seemed to see more mess around her, the true consequences of living under that regime, and she started to feel angrier and angrier every time.

Even if she wasn’t ready to take action just as Victor was, she started to get really interested in what was going on in his plans. He was utterly surprised by that and always made sure that she was receptive whenever he talked about his missions with her. Evey noticed he was excited about her slow change of mind, obliging whenever she asked for more information.

Victor opened Evey’s eyes without intending it. He showed her a whole world that always seemed hidden. He immersed her in a sea of possibilities, a need for finding a free future together. She knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and wanted it to be without chains around their wrists.

Finally, after almost a year since they met, she was ready to take action. Allana wasn’t happy, obviously. They had dinner with her a few days before and when he told her about Evey’s new mindset, she started to argue with him. Her favourite furious sentence she uttered was “you’ve corrupter her soul”. Maybe he did and she couldn’t care anymore. She had completely given in.

Victor backed a bit, trying to breathe, cupping her face and caressing her cheekbones with his thumbs, his blue gaze full of adoration. “Hi, my love,” he whispered huskily.

“Hi,” she smiled dreamily.

“How’s been your day?”

“Just as messy as usual,” she sniggered.

“I was expecting that,” Victor muttered, pressing his lips against her again, too briefly for her. “And I’ve planned a perfect night to compensate for it.”

She murmured, smiling slyly. “Really?”

He nodded, freeing her to open the door of the car behind him. He tilted his head slightly towards it, waiting for her to get inside. When he sat on the opposite seat and put on his belt, Evey asked the big question.

“Have you told Allana about tomorrow already?” She asked Victor, already sensing the answer, seeing the slight furrow that appeared in his forehead.

“No.”

“You should.”

A rush of excitement rushed over her body at the thought. For the first time, she would be collaborating with what Victor and his fellows had been doing. The next day, they would be starting a demonstration against the tyranny before the Parliament. Everything had been planned to the detail, sending an encrypted message to every citizen that had an electronic mail, going through the control of the government. If there was luck, more people would be joining them. At least, a few of his students would be joining them.

“I’ve never told her whenever I met with the group,” he told her, starting the car. “This isn’t different.”

“It is, V,” Evey uttered, furrowing, as he started driving. “This is way more dangerous than meeting past curfew in somebody’s basement. Or plotting in deserted offices at the faculty.”

“Another reason why there’s no need to worry her more. She will be hysterical if I tell her.”

“But… What if something happens? Would you want your sister to live forever with the doubt of what happened to you?”

Evey had seen her brother die. She knew perfectly how that was a wound that never healed, not completely, at least. She couldn’t blame Allana for being afraid and worrying over them, the only family she had left. Evey had been living like that since a few months before, in the end.

Victor sighed. “You don’t have to come, Evey, if you’re not sure,” he uttered, a bit of disappointment showing in his tone.

“What?” She muttered, surprised. “Of course I’ll come. Why are you saying this?”

“You don’t seem sure,” he admitted in a low voice.

“Why? Because I’m saying it’s dangerous? Isn’t it the truth?” Evey stated without hesitation, shifting in her seat, moving her body towards him. “Look: I am sure. You’ve shown me there’s a lot wrong with this country. You’ve made me see that I can fight, that I should. But I’ve been in Allana’s position for years, before meeting you. I know how that feels. And I’ve been a sister too, so… You may think is worse to tell her, that you will make her suffer more. And maybe it’s true, but that knowledge is better than nothing.”

He kept quiet for a while, not answering, focusing on the road before him with a stern look. Evey knew he could be a bit narrow-minded sometimes, more even if the issue was related to his work on the clandestine revolution. She loved his tenacity, although, sometimes, it was just as exasperating.

“Alright,” Victor muttered at last. “I’ll call her later.”

She nodded, sighing and resting on the back of the seat again, feeling more relaxed. Allana and she had bonded a lot during that year. She was the sister she had never had and despised making her worry twice but, if everything worked, it would be worth it.

When they arrived at Victor’s apartment, there was already a delicious smell of homemade food lingering in the air. His place was little, but comfy, and had books all around, placed cautiously in the multiple shelves of the living room.

They had dinner at the little balcony with views to a park, while the night fell on their heads, just as always. While they ate and talked, a bunch of fond looks and giggles full of love were shared. She felt grateful for having met him because, even if they were far from reaching complete freedom, she felt he had given her wings.

The combination of the wine and the tension that always built fast between them carried the night, and themselves, to the bed. They got tangled in their usual dance, both swinging between making love and devouring each other mercilessly. The passion that they shared made Evey think that she would ignite every time he touched her.

That night, falling asleep against his chest, curled against his body, she didn’t pray for that exact moment to be forever, but to have a lot more of them, for the rest of her life. However, she knew that, meanwhile they stayed together, everything would be alright.

Before she could accept what was happening, her legs had started to move, running, taking her to the core of the unleashed destruction.

A full armed antiriot squad had appeared in the middle of the act, trapping the two hundred demonstrators before the Parliament, shooting and chasing them. When everybody started fleeing, they pushed them apart, their hands loosening in their grip. She heard Victor shout her name and she screamed his, feeling the desperation hit her. Evey found herself carried by the crowd, while trying with all of her to find her partner again.

When the crowd dispersed as the antiriot police started to hit with their batons, Evey caught a glimpse of him, trying to help one of his students and receiving a hit instead of him. She tried to reach where he was, breathless, a rush of sharp fear making her blood freeze.

Evey remembered the last moment she saw him. She remembered it perfectly: how he was hit in the head and blood started spilling wildly down his face, how the police grabbed him by the wrists, how he noticed her when she uttered a sharp cry and a friend of his captured her from behind. She struggled, wanting to get to him, but he was stronger and started to drag her to safety.

Evey remembered his eyes, looking at her lovingly. She remembered how he muttered “I love you”, before being dragged into a van, disappearing forever. She remembered how she hadn’t had the opportunity to tell him one last time she loved him too.

The last night, she had been loving him, filling him with kisses and loving caresses. They had been together, happy. But, when the next night came, she received the news through a friend that had access to the police archives that she had lost him for good.

He had died due to the traumatism of the hit he had received. He had died alone, in a police cell, and they had made his body disappear forever, buried who knows where.

Evey cried for two whole days, unable to get out of his bed, of his apartment, holding onto his scent still lingering around. She couldn’t start to accept Victor wouldn’t return until then. After that, she woke up and went to find Allana.

When the woman opened the door of her house, with her curly brown hair in a messy bun and her grown, staring at her with the same blue eyes her brother had, she couldn’t possibly know what Evey was doing there. Victor didn’t tell her, in the end. However, when Evey started crying, she suspected Allana had known before hearing a word.

After five years, Evey still remembered, more vividly that she liked.

She didn’t get over the loss of Victor completely, the memory of the eternal love they shared always crushing her. However, she kept living and moving forward, even if more than living she felt like just existing.

Evey kept some of his books before Allana and she decided to sell his apartment, for the sake of their mental health. They had backed on each other after losing him. Luckily, Allana didn’t blame her for what happened. Not that it was her fault, but, sometimes, Evey felt a little responsible.

She had been without strength to keep fighting for freedom for years. Contrarily, losing her brother made Allana fiercer. She wasn’t plotting like her brother had been doing, but she was very aware that the change had to come at some point, and knew clearly that she wanted to be part of it.

Evey, instead, didn’t feel that way until she almost turned twenty-seven. It didn’t have a specific reason why she felt his convictions rise in her again. It just happened and she welcomed it. Somehow, she felt relieved to feel that again. It was as if he was alive still, in a way, at least inside her.

She continued working at the BTN, just because she didn’t care anymore of how shitty it was. She worked and returned home and was paid in time every month. For years, it had been enough. Nevertheless, with the rise of her old strength, she felt how burned out she was, how tired of living constantly with an invisible mask on.

Also, she hadn’t been with another person in those years. The thought of taking a lover or having a relationship with another made her feel disgusted. Maybe someday she could return to the field of love, but she didn’t see that day near. The memory of Victor was too strong still.

It was the Fourth of November and, after work, she had felt very restless in her apartment. In a few hours, it would be Victor’s birthday and that was killing her inside. She didn’t want to be alone right then, so she called Allana and asked her if there was a problem with her coming to her house right then. Allana, always happy to have her around, and probably also gloomy, told her there was no problem.

Evey rushed to the street right away, very aware of the curfew, about to start. She heard it being announced through the megaphonia and started to walk faster, clenching the edges of her coat tighter around her body.

She started running when noticed somebody following her, and got into a near alley, trying to escape. Before she could realize, she had been trapped by a group of Fingers, about to rape her. She struggled and shouted at them, trying to fight them off. However, she couldn’t and the fear started to get into her bones, paralyzing her.

A deep voice came from the shadows, making all of them turn towards the sound. Among the darkness, she saw a white mask, grinning at them. A few seconds before, the Finger that tried to scare him off with his badge was eliminated by the man easily. The men threw Evey to the floor when approached the mysterious man to fight him. He killed them all under the frightened stare of Evey, who witnessed everything in awe.

When the man turned around to her, she was completely breathless. Then, she could see him better. He was tall and a bit corpulent. He was wearing a set of dark clothes, topped with a long cape and a set of knives in a belt around his waist. The mask was accompanied with a black wig and a hat and his hands were covered by a pair of black leather gloves.

“I can assure you I mean you no harm,” he said in a soft voice, approaching her a little.

His voice gave her shivers, although she didn’t grasp why at that moment.

“Who are you?” She asked with a resounding tone, trying to keep her voice steady.

After that, he started rambling, uttering a heated speech that Evey couldn’t completely understand. Before the stranger, who named himself V, she just could stare, totally in awe because of his theatrical being. When he seemed to finish his act, he approached her, offering a hand.

“Are you hurt?” He asked politely.

“No,” she muttered, grabbing it, still unsure. “Thanks to you.”

“Oh. I merely played my part,” V answered, almost joyfully.

Suddenly, she felt fixed to the floor, now completely paralysed. Evey stared at him, his voice hitting her eardrums like thunder, echoing, haunting her. She felt the tears starting to gather on the edge of her eyes before the sensation, before the memory of her first meeting with Victor. Maybe it was because of the day or because the way V had pronounced those words, with that voice so similar to her dead love… She didn’t know why, but it hit her feelings in the worst way.

V seemed startled before Evey’s reaction, tensing up when she sniffled and hurried to dry her tears before they fell down her face.

“Sorry,” she excused herself, feeling extremely ashamed.

“Nothing to be concerned about,” he said, clearly unsettled. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

She pressed her lips on a thin line. She was hurt indeed, but not because of those bastards that had attacked her. “Yes. It’s just…” She muttered, shaking her head, dismissing the continuation. “Never mind.”

Even if she couldn’t see his face, Evey was sure the man that just disposed a few men in the blink of an eye with the most stoic behaviour was completely lost before her tears. As if seeming to want to distract her, V asked Evey if she liked music. She didn’t comprehend his question at first, but answered that she did.

Definitely, she was ending up in the strangest places that night. V took her to a roof near the Old Bailey and proceeded to direct the orchestra he said he was joining when midnight struck.

Evey witnessed the building explode with the open laugh of her company roaring. When the structure crumbled totally and the music vanished, she found herself staring at V even more. She wasn’t sure she was awake. Everything that had happened in those twenty minutes seemed something between a strange dream and a nightmare.

“Now,” he breathed out, the excitement still owner of his voice, “as promised, I will take you home safely.”

“Actually,” she said, almost whispering, “I wasn’t heading home. I was going to a friend’s place.”

“Very well, then,” V said, his voice becoming steadier. “As you say.”

Evey wasn’t sure of telling him where Allana lived, but she was too shocked to rationalize that at the moment. She just told him and V took her there, without more incident.

When she was at the door, she couldn’t avoid turning to her strange saviour to thank him again, even if she had mixed feelings towards the stranger. However, he had already disappeared. She looked around, trying to spot him, in vain.

Shaking her head, trying to collect her thoughts, she knocked on the door. Allana opened right away, with worry all over her features.

“You’re not gonna believe this,” Evey said, getting inside.

She was sure she would see V again, and very soon. She had been talking with Allana about it and they both agreed that the change that the country needed was there, and had arrived as a masked man.

However, she didn’t think that, with seeing V again, she would also see revived a ghost. She had listened to his whole speech on the tele and, what had been just a feeling the past night, became a certainty when she heard his voice for that long. She ran out of that room, not because she was fleeing of those two policemen anymore, but because she needed to find him. She was sure he was inside the building.

While she ran through the corridors, the feeling that those whole five years had been a lie shook her, just as the possibility that she had gone crazy definitely. Just a voice was no proof. However, she wanted to believe, even if everything ended up being just a conjecture of her hope. She would be so pissed and so wholeheartedly happy if she was right.

When she turned around a corner, getting into the hall where the lifts were, she saw him. He made his cape fly when approaching the buttons and she felt the desperation to get to him, about to run faster when one of the policemen that had chased her appeared, pointing at him with a gun.

The policeman threatened him and V rose his hands calmly. Evey felt her sense to fight awaking and she approached them as she took the pepper spray out of her bag. She tapped the man shoulder and sprayed him as soon as he turned around. The man reacted right away, hitting her on the head, making her fall on the floor.

Through the sudden dizziness that hit her, she heard the man falling as well, unconscious near her. Two hands straightened her, making her sit.

“Evey,” she heard V whispering roughly, cupping her face.

She closed her eyes, furrowing when the dizziness increased, and just found the strength to raise her arms, wrapping them around his neck. She felt how he lifted her and fell completely unconscious in his arms.


	2. At lover's perjuries they say Jove laughs

It was when he looked at her as she approached the door that the memories hit him. They came like a tornado, immersing in his brain with crushing power, returning to him after five years of emptiness.

He was crumbling against the wall of a near alley before realizing he had escaped from her side. His whole body trembled as more memories returned, getting back his past life, recomposing who he was before Larkhill. He fell to the floor when the images of Evey arrived, trying desperately to get to him in the demonstration, the last time he saw his only love.

When the swirl of memories stopped, he felt breathless and utterly confused, with tears streaming down his face, behind his mask. His head hurt really badly and a spiral of wonders ran through his mind.

V stood up at some point; he wasn’t sure how much it took him to gather the strength. He returned to the Shadow Gallery while his thoughts raced. He never cared about who he was before forgetting; everything that had mattered was his revenge. Nevertheless, that was before remembering. After getting back his memories, far from feeling relieved, he was full of restlessness. He felt shattered in two and recomposed at the same time. Somehow, he was still the man that had lived before Larkhill. His dynamic had survived the loss of his memory. However, what was done to him had changed him. And now that he could remember, he realized how much different he was from his past self.

What was a certainty was that his memories had brought back the whole pack of feelings he had before forgetting. V wondered about his sister, felt the worry for her and sorry for hurting her, for disappearing forever. He also wondered about his students, who accompanied him in his plotting and were harmed during the plan. But, above all, he wondered about Evey.

He didn’t know how it was possible that he had forgotten about her, about the love he felt for her. He wondered how those years had been for her and hoped she had gotten more than he had offered to her in the end. It hurt his heart a little, that she had moved on, but really prayed that that had been the case.

V was glad to have found her before those men hurt her. Just the thought of what could have happened made his stomach twist in disgust and anger. It wasn’t the only thought that made him feel sick, although.

Being able to remember how he was made him feel even more monstrous. He hadn’t cared before. He knew once his vengeance was fulfilled, he would rest for good. However, even if he knew it wouldn’t happen, the thought of how Evey would react at the knowledge of what he had become made him tremble.

He tried to shake those thoughts. He had received the gift of being able to remember her for the last year of life he had left, and had even seen her for the last time. Even so, he wouldn’t see her again; there was no point in wondering about useless things. Evey had been considering him dead for years, probably. The best would be that that kept like that.

When he arrived at his lair, he let himself fall over his bed, ripping the mask and wig and untying his cape, dropping everything without any care. There, under the crushing silence of his home, all the emotions hit him at once. He felt the need to cry, but couldn’t find the strength to let the tears fall. Instead, he closed his eyes and dreamed with his Evey, finally recalling how wonderful had been feeling loved and touched as if he was the most precious thing in the world. And, while he dreamed of her, V finally cried.

He couldn’t believe himself when saw Evey appearing at the other end of the hall, her hazel eyes fixed fiercely on the policeman pointing at him with a gun.

V had hoped that she didn’t work at the BTN anymore; he had been wrong. He distracted the man before him as he noticed how Evey was taking something out of her bag. A pepper spray.

She tapped the shoulder of the policeman and sprayed him directly into his eyes. The man grunted and reacted hitting her. V’s senses activated right away, knocking the man down and rushing to kneel right beside Evey. He grabbed her shoulders, reclining her until a sitting position, his heart shaking with worry.

“Evey,” he muttered.

Evey stared at him with a dull gaze, half-lidded. She rose her arms, encircling his neck with a soft embrace, and passed out. V was aware that if he left her there, she would be captured for helping him. He couldn’t let that happen, but the other option wasn’t good either. However, knowing he wasn’t willing to let her disappear into a black bag, he took her in his arms and walked out of the building carrying her.

V couldn’t help how his eyes were fixed on her face almost all the time as he walked to the Gallery, his heart beating wildly and feeling as if the rails under his feet were clouds. She was still so beautiful it hurt his senses, made him tremble of how much he loved her.

As he approached the Gallery, he started to feel more anxious about his decision. He didn’t know how he would manage that without revealing himself. His options weren’t many. He didn’t have an idea of how her life was now; Evey might even have a family waiting for her to come back. That wouldn’t be good. They would be the first ones Creedy’s men would chase when they noticed V had taken Evey with him. She would be considered an ally of him, for sure. He wasn’t intending to destroy her life, so he would have to make sure about her relatives soon, to keep them protected as well, if necessary.

If she had nobody, she would still have to stay in the Gallery for the year, which was enough unsettling for him. He could endure that for her protection; in a way, it was a blessing. However, he feared a year with both of them trapped in a closed place could make her realize who he was.

Even if his body was slightly different, was covered with those theatrics all the time, and created a whole new persona to be around her, Evey wasn’t stupid at all. She might discover him anyway. The only thing he could do was make an effort to keep concealed.

When he arrived at his actual home, he left her on the bed of the cleanest bedroom, aside from his. Then, he checked the bruise on her forehead, barely touching her; it was nothing important, luckily.

V stood by the bed for a few minutes, staring at Evey. That whole situation would be a catastrophe, he could feel it.

He decided to get out of the room and walk to his bedroom, immersing in his bathroom to take a shower, hoping it would clear his mind. When he got out and looked at himself in the mirror, his scarred image returning his own gaze, he felt the tears gather in his eyes again. He dressed up again, fast, not wanting to see a single inch of himself right then. Definitely, there was no way he could show himself to her.

When he got out of the bathroom, he felt even worse than before. He started to wander around the Gallery, not doing anything in particular, with the sound of Cry Me A River softly filling the living room.

He was in Valerie’s shrine when he heard a door opening in the background, producing a light creak, as Evey got out of the room he had left her in. His body started to get out of control and had to breathe in a few times to keep collected. He heard her walk into the living room and waited a few seconds before approaching the place.

She was leaned over the Wurlitzer when he walked in and turned around abruptly at the slight sound of him approaching. His breath cut when Evey fixed her wide eyes on him, filled with confusion and sadness. She seemed utterly afraid and the vision cracked his heart.

“Hello, Evey,” V started with a relaxed tone.

Evey just stared at him, furrowing slightly, her eyes filling with restrained tears. She gasped.

“You…” She muttered, her voice shaking, pressing her lips on a thin line, clearly trying to keep herself together.

V breathed in, saddened by how little and frightened she seemed before him. He felt a mighty need to reassure her.

“Do not be afraid,” he said. “You’re safe here.”

She straightened up against the Wurlitzer, her gaze turning colder, something crossing her mind he couldn’t cypher. It was the same expression she had had the day before when he rescued her and her eyes started to water suddenly. He didn’t think he was that scary, but he remembered how he had disposed those men without contemplation and that she had witnessed that. And then the explosion, as well. He didn’t understand why she had helped him at the Jordan Tower if she was that scared of him.

The tears started to fall from her eyes when she averted her gaze from him, dropping to the floor before her. He tensed up, trying to think fast what to do. V took a step towards her, in the most cautious way, fearing he would make her flinch. Instead, she kept quiet, raising her watery eyes to him again.

“You’re in my home,” V said, keeping his tone soft. “I call it the Shadow Gallery. Nobody will find you here.”

More tears fell down her face and he suspected that last sentence hadn’t sounded as good as he had previously thought.

“Taking you here was the only way to keep you safe, considering what you did. If I had left you there, right now you’d be in one of Creedy’s interrogation cells. They’d imprison you, torture you, and, in all probability, kill you in the pursuit of finding me.”

All of a sudden, even if she continued shedding tears, growing anger started to show in her features. “I can’t believe it…” She whispered roughly.

“I apologize,” he bent a bit, vowing, feeling shaken by her reaction. “I didn’t want this for either of us, but I couldn’t see any other way.”

She stopped looking at V, taking a hand to her face and covering her eyes, letting out a watery sigh. “I’ve been so stupid…” She muttered, her voice shaking as she was about to start crying.

His chest tightened with a bit of disappointment. He thought that she had grown from the chains that had tamed her in the past, but she was still struggling with imposed ideas, apparently. Maybe what happened after that demonstration had made her switch again.

“You did what you thought was right,” V said.

She sniggered sadly, taking her hand away and gazing at him, her eyes starting to get reddish. “Of course that I did,” she snapped, as if he had offended her with that insinuation. “It was just… I thought…”

When she didn’t continue, he felt the urge to ask. “What?”

She sighed, drying her tears. “You reminded me of somebody I knew. Somebody I lost,” she murmured, avoiding looking at him for a moment. “I thought that maybe… You were him. It was silly, really.”

V was paralyzed at her words, suddenly realizing that her behaviour wasn’t because she was scared. She had recognized him before he had recognized himself. Suddenly, he didn’t know what to do.

“My boyfriend, concretely. Victor,” she continued, sniffling, fixing her gaze on a near statue. “Those damned bastards killed him after we attended a demonstration five years ago. He disappeared in one of their vans and I never saw him again. One of his friends received the news, after hacking the police archives.”

She turned to him again; her tears had stopped. Evey breathed in and backed more on the Wurlitzer. “You’ve got a big mission in your hands, true?” She asked, seeming calmer, although the sadness still shone in her gaze.

“Certainly,” he whispered, feeling his voice shaking.

“Good. It was damn time,” she sighed and stared at him for a second, not uttering a word. “I guess I can’t go home, right?”

“I’m afraid it’s not a good idea,” he muttered, still struggling with his thoughts.

That didn’t seem to please her, but didn’t seem totally bothered. “May I warn my sister-in-law? She’s the only kind of relative I have and I would like for her to be careful from now on, if they come to her searching for me. I know how this works, too well, unfortunately,” she explained.

He knew she did, much to his dismay. Deeply, he was grateful that she didn’t seem to have backed away from her growth in her own freedom. It would make everything easier, if that was possible.

Evey clearly still had him in mind and suffered his death, somehow. She had helped him knocking down that agent because she had recognized him. V wasn’t sure he could bear that year now, keep completely hidden and let her believe he died five years ago. He would die to feel one of her kisses one last time, to interlace her fingers with hers, feel their palms together. He wanted to tell her he still loved her and that he was sorry for all the pain he put her through. But if he didn’t want to be selfish, the only way of keeping her free from his ghost was going on as if he hadn’t remembered.

He realized, also, that the house he had taken her to the night before was his family’s one. His sister was still living there. Evey and Allana were still acting like a family, just the two of them. He certainly wanted nothing happening to his sister.

“I have a disposable mobile you could use, if you may,” he said.

“It’ll work,” she whispered.

“Await a minute,” he warned her, turning around to disappear down one of the halls.

Once in his study, he searched in one of the drawers of his table, trying to find the phone he knew that it was there. He had one because he thought one day could be useful; he never imagined it would be used by his ex-girlfriend to warn his sister of the danger over her head.

V kept there for a minute after finding the phone, debating with himself if he was acting right. The sight of him in the mirror and the demons in his mind made him shake that doubt. He couldn’t expose her to the horror that he was now, inside and out. He just couldn’t. He loved her too much for that to happen.

When he returned, Evey was looking at the songs in the Wurlitzer. He handed her the phone and she muttered a soft “thank you” before marking Allana’s number. V smiled sadly under the mask; she hadn’t changed it.

Evey put the phone against her ear and waited.

“You may not tell her any details,” V warned softly. “Nor where you are, neither what you’ve done.”

She gave him a fast look, and closing her eyes for a moment, she sighed. Then, somebody picked up the call, the beeps stopping.

“Yes?” He heard clearly the voice of his sister, which made him shiver.

“Allana. It’s me: Evey,” she said.

“Evey? What the hell? I’ve just seen what has happened at the Jordan Tower,” Allana exclaimed. “Are you alright? Are you safe?”

“Yes. Totally,” Evey muttered.

“Phew. What a mess,” she answered, relieved. “Not that I’m surprised. After what you told me last night, it was clear something would happen.”

“I guess…” Evey tilted her head. “The thing is… A couple of policemen were chasing me this morning.”

V’s eyes widened at that. He didn’t know that and waited for her to go on. Somebody might have seen them last night, he thought. Maybe he hadn’t been cautious enough.

“Maybe somebody saw me with him last night. I guess they think I know him or something so… I’ll hide for a while, alright?”

“What are you saying?” Allana exclaimed, scandalized. “Are you serious?”

“I think I’ll pass to disappear into one of Creedy’s bags so… Yes. But don’t worry. I’m fine. I’ll be safe.”

“Are you with him?” She inquired and Evey sighed tiredly.

“No.”

“Seriously, Evey. I’m up for a change too, but be careful, okay? I don’t want to lose you too. You’re like my sister.”

“I know, Al. You’re like a sister to me too. And I’ll be alright, I promise. I was calling because I don’t want that you freak out if I disappear for a while. And you should be careful too. They might come to you asking things.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be,” Allana assured her, although she still sounded unsettled.

“Perfect.”

“Make sure to warn me right away, whenever you appear again, yes?”

“Promise.”

After saying goodbye, she hanged out and, with a tired look, returned him the phone. “How much time do I have to stay here?” She asked with a flat voice.

“For a year,” he answered, still restless.

Her eyes widened. “A year?” Her voice turned a bit higher. “That’s a lot of time, you know?”

“I’m aware of it. After that, it won’t matter. You’ll be safe to return to your life.”

“I think it’s excessive,” Evey snapped.

“It’s not. They will be searching for me tirelessly, trying to stop me. As time passes, they will be more desperate to succeed, which means it will be more dangerous for you,” V explained. “I apologize. I comprehend this is far from ideal.”

She shrugged her shoulders, letting out a sigh. “Maybe it’s a little nihilist, but if it wasn’t because of Allana, I wouldn’t even care if I’m here or out.”

V felt his heart shattering even more. She seemed very sorrowful. Even considering what she went through, when he met her, she was all light and warmness. Those five years might have been very hard for her if she was that disinterested.

“Are you alone in this?” She asked. “Are you working on your own?”

“Yes.”

“Then, I guess you’re that kind: a lone wolf.”

“You might say that.”

“Alright,” she muttered. “But, since I’ll be around here for a year, if you need help for whatever, ask me. I’ve always had a gut feeling chasing me, since that demonstration. I felt the failure over my head since then. After losing Victor, I spent years feeling I couldn’t fight. I had no energy. And I’ve started feeling that strength again lately, and then you’ve appeared,” Evey said a bit playfully, giving him a smile.

He felt his body warming up at her grin, as if he was about to melt. She really had suffered for his death.

“If I can do something to help this tyranny to end, to make his death count, I want to. I don’t mind about the method anymore.”

V kept listening to her, completely in awe of the woman before him. He would have never thought she would end up thinking that way. When they met, she was afraid of breaking rules and social structures. And she grew from that a little through the year their relationship lasted, but she didn’t think like that back then. He recognized her, but also recognized that she was braver now. Or maybe, as she had said, she didn’t care much about anything anymore. He opted to believe she was just more resilient.

“In fact, today he would turn thirty-three,” she said, smiling sadly. “He was very proud of his birthday being the Fifth of November. It was cute, really.”

“I’m sorry,” V whispered with a knot in his throat. “You still seem to think of him very much.”

“Yes,” she admitted. “He was the love of my life. He still is,” Evey furrowed sadly, dropping her gaze to the Wurlitzer again. “And we had very little time.”

He felt the tears gathering in the corner of his eyes before her suffering. V felt his body contracting, trying to restrain how intensely he needed to hug her and tell her he was there. But he wasn’t there. The man she loved had died in that cell at Larkhill. He believed so, strongly.

“You would’ve liked him, I’m sure,” she smiled. “He used to say the only way to free this country was breaking it first, turn it into ashes. He also said those responsible for it should be disposed and pay for what they did. I freaked out the first time he told me this,” she sniggered, the memory shinning in her eyes. “He opened my eyes, in the end, showed me how stop being afraid. He was working on something, back then, with other people who wanted to break the tyranny. The demonstration where they took him was the first time that I was fighting along with them. I wished it had worked out.”

V was speechless before the recalling of Evey. He was feeling more shattered as she talked, his need to keep hidden and his yearning to tell her the truth colliding.

“I’m sorry,” she tittered, ashamed, looking at him again. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

“It’s alright,” V breathed out, tilting his head down a little.

She let out a heavy exhale, turning around and backing against the machine, seeming suddenly curious.

“I think you can take off your mask already,” Evey said, arching a brow. “It’s not like I can reveal your identity to anyone. I wouldn’t, either way.”

He tensed up, feeling a cold rush just at the proposition. More curiosity jumped into her stare, clearly noticing his reaction.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he opted to say.

“Well…” Evey furrowed, a little wary about that. “At least, tell me your real name. Just your first name is fine.”

V felt his throat tightening painfully. “V is my name.”

“Come on,” she breathed out, sceptical. “That can’t be.”

“It’s true.”

She sighed and looked at him with a certain reluctance. He realized that she wasn’t comfortable with that naming, because it sounded just as her and Allana called him. It was his nickname. She probably felt uneasy using it with who he thought was another person. He was thinking of coming up with another name for her to call him when she straightened up, breathing in.

“Alright, then,” she said. “Do you have aspirins or something? My head is starting to hurt.”

“I do.”

“Thank God,” she whispered, rubbing her temple softly.

“I’ll bring you the box.”

He walked away again, going to his bathroom. Once he wasn’t under her sight, he felt his legs trembling and his lungs heavy from restraining himself. He didn’t know how he was going to keep doing that for a year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> The story of this work is very curious, really. I had this idea for Veritas Vincit -my other fic for VfV- of Evey dreaming how they would have met if he hadn't been imprisoned, after Chapter 15. I discarded it, in the end, so it didn't fit. However, last night, I dreamt about what will be the next two chapters and I knew I had to get this out of my chest. I hope y'all like this brief UA <3
> 
> I'll have the next chapters soon. Also, you can find me on [Tumblr](https://nuryrune.tumblr.com/)! 
> 
> See you soon! xx


	3. That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet

After two months, Evey had started to get used to her new situation. Sometimes, she felt a bit claustrophobic and missed her former routine, kind of, but she was doing fine. She realized that she really meant it when said her life, besides Allana, wasn’t much appealing. She had been living with just the motivation to survive and being closed in the Gallery, under the supervision of a man considered a terrorist, wasn’t much different from that. If she escaped, she would be caught and die outside, probably. Not that she was afraid of dying; it wasn’t alluring, nonetheless. And she would have been fired by now, although losing her job at the BTN didn’t bother her in the slightest. She knew that, once that year was over, the most probable thing was that the BTN didn’t exist anymore, or had turned into a different thing. In a year, everything would be different. Just by spending those two months with the so-called terrorist, she knew he would succeed in whatever he was doing.

Evey felt V didn’t trust her, not at first, at least. She thought that maybe it was because he was that kind of man, a lonely wolf. However, it wasn’t hard to get used to him; although, sometimes, she felt suffocated. It wasn’t because she wasn’t comfortable around V; it was because she felt extremely comfortable indeed.

The feeling that had made her run to him in the Jordan Tower still lingered over her head, and constantly. She knew V wasn’t Victor. She had appreciated he was slightly taller and more muscular and his corporal expression not quite exact. V was more theatrical, something in him danced between artificiality and normality all the time, as if he was acting, but did it so well you couldn’t tell if he was really.

Nevertheless, she still got a known vibe from him and had started to feel the same way she felt with Victor. When she was talking with V and he seemed to be in a good mood and more relaxed, Evey was always speechless. His voice was incredibly similar to Victor’s in those moments, in a way that made her shiver without control and gave her a huge need to cry. She did, sometimes, at night, when she was closed in her new room, full of towers made of books.

But it wasn’t just his voice. It was everything about him that confused her. She repeated the differences between the two men in her head, but couldn’t shake the feeling no matter how hard she tried. At times, it got the best of her.

Trying to distance the two men in her mind, she opted to approach V more, to know him more. She hoped that with knowing him deeper, she would see more and more differences. However, she failed in her attempt.

First, Evey started asking him about his plan. He didn’t reveal much to her, but they talked a lot about his vision about the situation. His mindset was a bit more radical than her dead boyfriend’s, but had the same base.

Then, she tried to talk about his life, hoping that he would open up about in the end. V didn’t say a thing about his true self and she thought that maybe she would have to take the first step. She explained to him her whole life, everything that happened since she was born to that very moment. V listened and expressed his sorry for her, but his life continued a secret after that conversation. She guessed that it would have been very horrible to drive that man to that place in his life.

They talked about literature and art often. He knew a lot of things and she got that feeling again. Victor was always talking about those things. He was very passionate about his field and irradiated that excitement easily. V was the same.

After one month, she started to feel a bit desperate, until one day, when she woke up with the sound of metal colliding and agitated voices. All the alarms started to sound in her head and she jumped off her bed to find the man, thinking somebody had entered the Gallery and he was fighting them off. However, she found him duelling with a foil against one armour and an old movie playing at his back.

Evey stared at him in awe. It wasn’t the first time she had seen him fighting, although never with a sword. He was as talented with it as with the knives. V was lethal; she knew that. She could recall the moment they met, clearly. He was superhuman in his abilities and fighting seemed to be in his blood. He made it seem so easy, with his rapid movements and skill…

He wasn’t Victor, at all. Seeing V practice with that foil, she repeated herself that she was seeing it with her own eyes, again. Victor was far from being a coward. He wasn’t scared of fighting, although he hadn’t in his life. And, even if he had force, definitely not that much.

V noticed her after a while and seemed a bit embarrassed. She was curious about the movie on the tele, not recognizing it. They ended up watching it together, something that hadn’t happened before. He usually gave her a lot of space, never sitting with her when she was doing something on her own. Even if he sat across from her, she liked to have his company in such a quotidian moment.

She just noticed a change between them the day she found Valerie’s shrine. Evey had been avoiding to wander around the Gallery much, thinking V might not want her to lurk on his lair, probably full of his secrets. She was very cautious if decided to take a little walk, to stretch her legs for a while. One day, she found a little room, not completely hidden but protected, somehow. It was full of posters and photos of a beautiful young woman, with bright blue eyes and a wonderful brown mane. In the middle of the room, there was a bunch of red roses and candles.

Evey’s mind came up with a lot of explanations for that place, some scaring her a little. V appeared soon after, catching her red-handed. She asked him about the place and, surprisingly, he answered clearly. That night, Evey learned the truth behind the man.

They sat on the couch for hours while V told her his story. He even let her read Valerie’s letter. When he finished, Evey understood everything: why he had no name, why he didn’t want to show her his face, why he was getting revenge against those in power right then…

“I’m very sorry, V,” she muttered, furrowing sadly.

He sighed, radiating some discomfort. She was surprised that he had been so sincere, but, clearly, it had been very hard for him to be that open with his story.

“You don’t have to be,” V breathed out. “It was long ago.”

“The consequences are here still, anyway,” she stated softly, approaching him cautiously.

Evey looked at his covered hands, resting on his lap, and then searched for his gaze under the dark screens of the mask. She dropped her eyes again and approached her hand to his, grabbing it softly. Evey heard V’s breath hitch a little.

“I want to see…” She started unsurely and couldn’t finish her petition.

He took his hand away, although in a slow movement, his politeness untouched. “I’m afraid I have to deny you this,” V said. “It’s not pleasing to see.”

“I won’t run away,” she argued, keeping her tone gentle. “It’s just skin.”

He had trusted her enough to tell his whole story. He had no one except for her, at least for now, and, maybe it was because V reminded her of Victor, but she didn’t want him feeling bad about himself. He didn’t want that his only memory of human touch was torture.

V kept quiet as she grabbed his hand again, this time with both of her hands. She sensed his trembling when cupped it. She started to pull the edges of the fingers while holding his wrist in the gentlest way she could. V was breathing raggedly now, contemplating how Evey started to slip his glove off.

She revealed his trembling hand, leaving the glove on her lap, staring at his fiery skin. Evey thought that it was bad, indeed, but not as bad as she had pictured in her head. In a way, it was even beautiful. She thought it was like a messy mesh of white scars across a reddish ocean.

Cautiously, she took her fingers to his palm, caressing him in a ginger stroke. V panted brokenly and she felt a rush of electricity shaking her.

“Does it hurt?” She whispered, not being able to take her eyes away from his skin.

He seemed to struggle with his answer for a moment. “No,” he answered in a low voice.

With this confirmation, Evey kept on with her exploration, taking both of her hands to grab his between them, caressing it with her thumbs. It wasn’t totally soft and clearly irregular, but she didn’t think the sensation was displeasing, just different. Her chest tightened, her heart hurting, at the thought of how much that should have hurt.

“Is your whole body like this?” She dared to ask, although she feared to bother him.

“Yes,” she said after a moment, a clear sorrow in his voice.

Evey nodded, understanding. “It’s not that bad, really,” she muttered, caressing him. “It’s like… Lace,” she heard him puff at that and rose her eyes to him, giving him a slight smile. “What? It’s true.”

“If you say so,” he said, his tone more relaxed.

She felt victorious at that, glad that he didn’t seem too nervous now.

“Thank you for trusting me,” she muttered.

“I’m the one thankful here,” V answered, his voice shaking slightly. “I thought… It’d be harder to accept.”

“What is hard to accept is how evil the power behind this country,” she stated. “And I accepted that long ago. I never thought something so utterly inhuman was happening but… Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me,” Evey sighed, remembering Victor had suspected something very turbid was going on, something like that. “Now, I want to help even more. Don’t doubt in asking me. I’m a regular human, not altered or something… But I consider myself very adept.”

“I don’t doubt you are,” he said, a smile reaching his tone.

She took her hand away and returned him the glove. V covered his hand again and Evey stared at him, suddenly feeling her hand very empty. Her heart, not so much. In that moment, she realized of something that scared her completely, a sudden heart-warming sensation hitting her.

For the next month, she felt it increasing, as much as her denial did. She had fallen into the feelings she had for Victor, revived, projected onto V just because they were very alike. Evey tried to remind herself all the time that he was not Victor. However, she felt drawn towards him, the same way her past love did.

At some point, she just accepted those twisted feelings. They displeased her very much, making her feel as if a part of her was searching for a substitution, to fill the void Victor had left in her. However, she knew too much about lost battles to recognise one right away. That incipient love wouldn’t disappear.

Evey damned herself. She had been five years devoid of love for anyone and ended up falling for the most secretive and self-restricted man ever. Not that it was his fault. Considering what he had been through and how he saw himself, she understood his behaviour.

The only thing she felt she could do was keeping collected and try to go through that year the best way she could. She feared to get too attached to him, although. Something in him told her that, once the year ended, he would disappear, and she would be broken-hearted again.

However, she felt that was unavoidable. After his outburst of sincerity, their relationship seemed more relaxed. V started to spend more time with her and she welcomed his company. Those moments together turned fast into very intimate and approached them until she felt on the edge, looking into the danger. And as more she looked into it, more was stopping to care about it. She was already destroyed. Another crack on her heart wouldn’t matter much.

Slowly, she started to realize she hoped he would reciprocate those feelings. They both were lonely and broken and give in to the sweetness of love, of the unconditional company wasn’t a sin. The problem was that she felt it was unfair, the way she felt towards him. Her feelings for him were separated from Victor’s by a very blurred line, and she didn’t know how truthful was her heart. She didn’t want to hurt an already damaged man.

Because of that uncertainty, she wasn’t advancing. She just received what he could give, which was closer to a friendship than a romance. Evey thought that maybe that was enough. Less problematic for both of them. However, that rationality didn’t last much when he pulled out his charming manners.

After three months, she had started to develop certain anxiety whenever he went out to do whatever he did. When a lot of hours passed and he hadn’t returned, she got really worried, although there was no reason to be. He clearly managed survival very well and was able to defend himself before almost anything. Anyway, she worried about him.

He used to go out at night and usually returned soon, so she heard him entering the Gallery, thanks to her room being near the door. However, one night, not especial for any reason, she woke up in the middle of the night. She hadn’t heard him coming back, and two had struck not long ago. Pushing the sheets aside and getting out of her bed, she slipped out of the room to search for V around the Gallery.

After a few minutes, she knew he hadn’t returned. Her chest began to tighten, to weight as it harboured a block of marble. She went to grab a sweater to her room, poured herself a glass of wine and sat on the piano’s bench, waiting, praying for him to appear at any moment.

She was finishing the second glass when he appeared, almost an hour after she had dropped herself on that bench. He was utterly surprised by her presence there and she admitted to be worried after not hearing him come back at the usual hour. Maybe it was because of the wine or because she had overthought too much, but her mood was worse than usual in that regard.

V tried to console her with words and asked her to go to sleep. However, he had to feel even worse about it when she told him that didn’t feel like sleeping at all. He promised to keep her company after a quick shower and she agreed. When he returned from it, she was still sitting on the bench and noticed how he was trying to find something to cheer her up as fast as his mind could work.

He asked her if she would like to dance with him. Evey was surprised at first, but, in a second, after processing his proposition, she was enchanted by it. V turned on the Wurlitzer, choosing a song, and offered her a hand to take. He held Evey gently, placing the other on her waist. Feeling a sudden fluttering in her stomach at the sensation, she put a hand on his shoulder and they started to sway slowly.

“I apologize again, Evey,” he said with a rumbling tone. “I didn’t think you were so concerned.”

“It’s alright. I know it’s stupid,” she shook her head, a bit embarrassed, adverting her eyes for a moment. “You clearly take very good care of yourself. And I doubt anybody can win over you.”

He sighed heavily, tilting his head to a side a little. “I will always come back, while you’re under this roof. This I promise you,” V muttered.

“Good to know,” she whispered, feeling a bit breathless.

She could feel his warmth in the little space that separated their bodies and was starting to make her dizzy. Evey was uneasy at the temptation of closing that space completely, to give into the need to wrap her arms around him and press her lips against the mask ones.

“Do you feel better?” He asked softly.

“Yes.”

He nodded, but didn’t stop the swaying. Evey felt her throat tightening, realizing that maybe she had fallen in love for real with that man, in a true way, not only because he resembled Victor. In those moments, she couldn’t care how those feelings had appeared. She just wanted to give in.

“You’re always a very nice company,” she gave him a little smile, the fluttering in her stomach increasing.

“You flatter me, mademoiselle,” V bowed a bit, making her giggle.

“I hope to be one, as well,” Evey said, with a faint teasing in her tone, “since you had to host me by chance.”

“You certainly are,” he assured her with a husky tone that made her shiver.

She breathed out, a bit of blush dyeing her cheeks. With a rush of bravery, she approached him completely, pressing their bodies together, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her cheek against his chest. V’s breath hitched and she sensed his heart beating wildly. After a second, he embraced her as well, continuing with the swaying.

Evey sighed happily, sensing his warmth covering her, all her body relaxing, aside from her crazy heartbeats. She had been wanting to be that close to him for long but, suddenly, she felt like crying, the sensation that she would lose him returning as well.

“What are you going to do after the Fifth?” She asked in a low tone, afraid.

V was the one who sighed this time, and the sound carried a clear discomfort. “Retiring,” he said. “For good.”

Her heart cracked a bit. “Where?”

“Far away. Where I may have some rest.”

She was quiet for a moment, thinking if it was a good idea to say what her mind wondered. Then, she remembered she had nothing to lose. “Would you receive a companion?” Evey muttered, hopeful, and rose her head to look at him.

Even if she couldn’t see his face, she could tell he was surprised. “What?”

“Would you let me go with you?” She asked, more clearly.

He was speechless for a long moment. “Why would you want such a thing? You have your life here.”

“I don’t have a life. Since Victor died, this has been pure survival,” Evey explained honestly. “But, with you, I feel alive again.”

She felt his hands grip her slightly tighter, his whole body tensing up. Lovingly, she wrapped him more, looking at him with adoration.

“I have to be honest, V. It’s very strange for me… All this,” she started, her eyes watering slightly. “I’m still struggling to know what’s on my mind now. Since the very start, you’ve reminded me a lot of Victor and… I never got over what happened. I always thought I would never love somebody again. I’ve missed him every day, every hour of the day… And when I met you… At first, I thought it was because you two are so alike. But now… Now I think that maybe it’s because of who you are as well.”

She noticed he had started breathing raggedly and, for a moment, she was afraid of rejection. However, it was too late to retrocede.

“I won’t pretend I have forgotten him. I don’t think I can. But… If you can live with that… I really think… I’ve fallen in love with you.”

He was extremely quiet all of a sudden and she furrowed sadly, dropping her eyes to his chest, trying to break the intense feeling that was receiving from his covered gaze.

“Sorry… I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I’ve just told you all this and maybe you’re not even interested in me,” she mumbled, embarrassed, her face burning.

He let her go abruptly, walking away from her and backing roughly against the Wurlitzer, as if he was about to fall, and stopped the music. She was suddenly scared of his reaction, fuelled when she noticed he was trembling.

“I can do this anymore…” He whispered huskily, so softly she almost didn’t hear him.

“What?” She asked, her voice shaking.

He shook his head slightly, bending down more against the machine, gripping its edges hard. “This is not right, Evey,” he mumbled with a dark tone, as if he was angered. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I’ve tried with all of me… To conceal.”

“I…” She furrowed, confused. “I don’t understand.”

V turned around slowly, facing her, backing against the machine for support. The straightness of his posture was completely gone, his shoulders down and his whole body seeming about to break.

“I’m so sorry, Evey…” He whispered and she noticed the tears in his voice, a voice that was completely unguarded. “I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to destroy your life.”

“What are you saying?” She stuttered. “You didn’t. You saved me and you’ve hosted me to protect me.”

“I’m not talking about that.”

Evey fell silent, staring at the man, acting with no sense. She was trying to figure out what all that meant, failing miserably.

“I’m sorry…” He repeated, lowering his head, the trembling in his words increasing. “I’m sorry I’ll make you suffer twice.”

Evey approached him at last with a couple of strikes, cupping his mask, making him look at her. “V. For real… What is this all about?”

“You knew it from the start, my love…” He whispered roughly. “You knew who I was, before I knew it myself.”

She shivered furiously, her whole skin covering in goosebumps. Evey backed away roughly, wide-eyed at the naming, at the tone he had used. The realization hit her, almost making her legs give in.

“I lost my memories a few days into Larkhill, after the treatment,” he explained, clearly crying under the mask. “I would have fought to return to you. I swear… I would have fought to escape that place and come back. But… I didn’t know. Since the night we met again, I was devoid of memories. When I left you at Allana’s, everything returned at once.”

Evey’s eyes filled with tears, falling hard down her cheeks. However, she couldn’t move or talk. She wasn’t sure she was breathing either. All she could manage was stare at the man before her, revealing himself slowly.

“I’m so sorry… I didn’t think we’d see each other again. I didn’t think you would even think about me… God, I couldn’t believe it when you ran to me to help me. I was so scared when I took you here, so scared you might discover me,” he stuttered, the trembling attacking his body clearly visible. “I’m not the man you used to love, Evey. I’m not, at all. And you may think you do, that you’ve fallen in love with this persona, but I promise you don’t. I died. I truly did. What you see it’s a consequence, a creature made of darkness. I wasn’t even kind of human before I got back my memories. What was done to me created me and I can go back to who I was. In every way, I’m monstrous.”

“You…”

Evey felt unfreezing suddenly, anger making every fibre of her body shake with furious fire. She clenched her teeth, approaching again, and hit him on his chest with her fists.

“Sure you are!” She yelled and pushed him. He backed away, crumbling against the nearest column, pressing his back against it. She followed. “Damned sadist! You’ve spent three months making me believe you were other. You’ve made me believe I was crazy for feeling like this! You’re sick! You’re evil! How have you done this to me?!”

“Evey, I… I’m not the same,” he babbled, his voice breaking with clear pain. “I couldn’t put you through this.”

She felt even angrier at this. “You’ve listened to me a thousand times mourn over you! You’ve seen me suffer! And you’ve let me! Do you think I would have really cared if you’re different? Do you think I’m the same, too? These five years have been hell for me too, okay? I’ve lost interest in pretty much everything. And do you think I would have rather lived forever thinking you died than knowing you weren’t? That you’ve been by my side this whole time? What the hell, Victor…”

Evey broke down, not able to believe that was happening. However, the weight of everything she knew about his past five years hit her, lowering her anger, increasing her sadness to a new level. She broke down crying, approaching him and wrapping her arms around him, as tightly as her trembling arms let her.

“Oh my God… What they did to you…” She cried, hugging him tighter. “I’m so sorry…”

“Evey…” He breathed out, wrapping her with his arms, unsure.

She cried against his chest, shaking and whimpering uncontrollably, feeling a mix of emotions that she couldn’t separate; they were coming all at once. However, there was one noticeable above all: relief.

“I’m so glad… You’re here,” she cried, pressing her ear more against his chest. “I’ve missed you so much…”

He pressed the lips of the mask against her scalp and she whimpered at the feeling, sensing his breath escape it.

“I don’t care who you are now… I don’t care you are a monster…” She stuttered, sniffling.

“No, Evey…” He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her away gently. “You shouldn’t. Even if I’ve gotten back my memories, Victor is a far dream inside me. His body is here, but I’m no longer him. I’m a shell with a purpose. And I’ll go after it’s finished.”

“I’ll go with you,” she said, desperate. “I don’t see the prob…”

“Where I’ll go, I’ll never allow you to follow,” he stated resoundingly.

V let her go and took a couple of steps away from where she was. Evey followed him with her gaze, comprehending the meaning of his words, her soul shattering into a million pieces.

“Are you… Are you going to kill yourself?” She asked in a low voice, completely broken.

“Saying it like that it’s very harsh,” he said, giving his back to her. “I’ll be just putting to rest this body. My mind has been too corrupted for long now,” V turned to her at last, in a slow, cautious movement. “Concealing myself was just a method to avoid you more suffering. I might be alive, if you want to call it that, but not completely. Not in the way you surely want. If only I could, Evey, I would return to you. I can’t, however. There’s nothing but revenge inside me.”

“So… You don’t love me anymore,” Evey muttered, more tears falling.

V kept quiet, tilting his face down. “It’s because I love you that I have to step away.”

Evey crossed the distance between them again, trapping the mask between her hands, uttering a broken sob. “I won’t let you… I won’t let you leave my side again,” she said, confident even if her tone was shattered. “I can’t believe you. I understand what you’ve been through it’s been horrible. I can… Understand you wanted to die sometimes. But not I’m here. We both are… We can figure out this. We can be together again.”

“No, love… We can’t,” he sighed, defeated.

“Why?”

“Because I’m horrid, inside and out. All we had, we couldn’t have it now.”

She pressed her lips on a thin line. “I don’t care how we make this work,” she breathed in, trying to keep collected. “Just stay with me… I’m begging...”

“Please,” he sighed, grabbing her wrists gently, but she didn’t let him take them off his mask.

“I love you,” she stated fiercely. “I won’t ever stop loving you. Listen to me… You’ll feel the need to live again. You’re still you. I’ve recognized you even after all, haven’t I? Just take my hand and we will find the way.”

Evey stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against the mask ones. She heard him suck on a breath, felt him starting to tremble again.

“I have nothing to give to you,” V muttered, sorrowful.

“Your love,” Evey stated. “That’s all I want.”

She heard him sigh heavily and he leaned over, pressing the forehead of the mask against her scalp. Evey contained a sob, closing her eyes tight, feeling her heart beat rapidly between hurt and relief.

“You’ve always had my love, Evey,” he whispered brokenly. “But I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I have this particular strength.”

“I’ll have it for the both of us,” she said, still harbouring hope. “Let me show you the way, as you showed me in the past. Let me return you the favour.”

She lowered her hands, hugging him and hiding her face in his neck, closing the distance between them again. Relying on the sensation of his closeness, she shed more tears, realizing that not even that had changed. Hugging him, even after all, felt the same way.

He returned the hug, leaning more against her, as if his body was starting to weaken. “I don’t want to break your heart again…” V muttered. “I don’t want you to suffer for the way I am now.”

“You won’t,” she assured him. “What happened wasn’t your fault, my love. You don’t have to be alone. You don’t have to die. You deserve to live again. I truly believe so. And if you think you’re horrible… I don’t care. I love you anyway. And if you never can shake off the darkness in you, I’ll love you still.”

Evey felt his hands pressing more against her sides and noticed his trembling. She hugged him hander, breathing his scent.

“This is a blessing, V,” she whispered. “A second opportunity for us.”

She backed away, drying her tears and sniffling, cracking a slight smile. He wasn’t answering much, wasn’t saying what he thought exactly. However, she had hope in them. She thought that could work. She wanted to believe the man before her, the love of her life, even if was completely broken and loathed himself and what he had become, would get out of that swirl of obscurity. With time and love, he would. And she would be there.

However, his hands loosened around her and she felt her hope cracking. He took them away again, slowly, leaving the ghost of a soft caress on her skin, and took a step backwards. She couldn’t breathe because of the sudden terror that had started shaking her.

“I can’t,” V whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“V…”

“You can leave if you want,” he said, his voice weakening. “I know another safe place where you can stay. What has to happen… It can’t be changed. And I don’t want you to witness it.”

More tears streamed down Evey’s cheeks while she stared at the man that she loved openly admit he just wanted to die. She realized nothing would change his mind, not even her love for him.

Evey stepped away from him too, averting her eyes, looking around, feeling a cold hit of desperation on her stomach, her lungs rioting. She heard him utter her name with concern, but the sound came muffled to her ears. Before she could discern anything, she felt her legs giving in, her heart beating wildly, and him approaching fast to catch her. Both of them fell to the floor, although she didn’t hit it, securely wrapped by his arms. She felt the leather of his gloves on her face as he pushed her curls aside and she rose her blurry eyes to him.

She rolled over, trembling, wanting desperately to have him near but not being able to bear that closeness right then. She was scared and hurt, and disappointed. She was mad too, mad because nothing could change that she was staring at a ghost. She had the love of her life before her, after five years of thinking he was dead, and now that he was there, she had to face that he was dead, indeed. And, with him, Evey felt the last untouched pieces of her heart perishing.

“Don’t touch me,” she whispered, her voice breaking, shaking, as she separated herself more from him.

He stayed kneeled on the floor, staring at her, with his arms still open, now empty of her.

“Evey…”

“Don’t!” She yelled, bursting into tears, covering her ears with her hands, sobbing. “I don’t want to hear a single more thing… I can’t…”

She moved her hands to her face, hiding, crying openly, bending over. Her whole body was breaking; she could feel it. She wanted that to be a nightmare. She wanted to disappear and not feel that pain anymore.

Evey didn’t feel the room had turned dark around her until his hands grabbed her wrists, uncovering her face. She resisted at first, not wanting to look at him. However, she wasn’t strong enough to fight it for much. When she opened her eyes, everything had been immersed in total obscurity. She gasped, feeling him sitting by her side, so close they almost touched each other.

He let her wrists go and then she heard him do something, as if rubbing his clothes or taking something off. She swallowed down her cries, sniffling, confused. Suddenly, she felt him grabbing her hands again, caressing her skin, interlacing their fingers in a tight grip. She trembled, breathless, the memories hitting her suddenly.

“Are these the hands you remember?” He said sadly. “Is this the same feeling?” He rose his hands to her face, cupping her cheeks, making her whimper at the sensation.

“Yes,” she whispered without hesitating. “Absolutely.”

He took them away again and she felt like crying again at the loss. She heard him wrestling again and a soft sound, a little sharp. V cupped her face again and she felt how he approached his body more. She gulped, what happened moments before completely vanished of her mind now. His warm breath collided against her lips and she sighed, starting to shake more, his essence not having changed in those years. She felt her lips tingling, desperately hoping he would cross that distance. She felt the hope again and she knew that, maybe, she was the one who had to ignite the flame.

Evey remembered perfectly where his lips were, from the many times she had kissed him in the dark. So, raising her hands to his back, supporting herself there, she approached her face to his, capturing his lips by surprise.

He made a sound of surprise, but didn’t back away. She let the tears fall again, her heart suddenly feeling full of emotion, full of lost things she had gotten back in that moment. Something was different, indeed. The fire hadn’t left his lips untouched, giving them a bit of roughness. Even so, she recognized their shape, their tenderness, as he parted his lips to receive her kiss, uttering a soft whimper.

She rose her hands to his face, trapping it between her palms, sensing the scars marring his skin there. She didn’t mind, even if he grunted a little; she just kissed him harder, shaking with desperation. On her skin, she felt his face burning, his tears caressing her fingers, and her mind was full of him and his soft moans.

His hands rose to her hair, intertwining with her curls, holding her closer. Eventually, he backed away a bit, just an inch, gasping.

“I’m sorry, my love,” he said in a whisper, holding back a sob that sounded deep in his voice anyway. “I’m so, so sorry… I’ve… Lied. I’m surely dying, Evey… Not because of what happened to me anymore, no. It’s killing me seeing you like this and I’ve been trying with all of me to swallow down how much I wanted to reach you but… I couldn’t. Every time I saw myself in the mirror… I…”

Evey felt a rush of sudden relief and pressed her lips on his again, shutting his words of unsureness. V sighed, leaning more against her, deepening into the kiss.

She searched for his shoulders in the dark, holding onto them with sureness, and moved to straddle him, sitting on his lap. He produced a deep sound, almost like a grunt, when Evey pressed herself against his body, searching the total closeness after years of living with wounds.

Evey, for a moment, forgot everything had happened. With her eyes closed, his body against her and his hands pulling her face to his lips desperately, it was as always had been. His kisses hadn’t changed, nor the way he held her closer and closer, as if they never were near enough.

Evey broke the kiss, gasping, totally breathless, when the reality hit her once more. Those five years had happened, much to her dismay. And also, the conversation they just had.

“Do you still love me? For real?” She asked, even if she knew that was the obvious one. She needed to hear it.

“I do love you, Evey,” he answered with complete truth in his tone. “Wholeheartedly.”

She cupped his face, opening her eyes even if she couldn’t see him. “Promise me you’re gonna live. I don’t want you to say ever again you want to die. I don’t want you to search for it purposefully. Promise me, V.”

“I promise,” he sighed, his voice shaking with emotion.

Evey sniggered, feeling as if a weight that had been on her shoulders for very long had vanished suddenly. She pressed her forehead against his, smiling, and breathing in his scent, letting her arms encircle his neck.

“Can’t believe you’re really here…” She whispered happily. “I thought I’d only see you again in Heaven.”

He sighed and she felt his warm breath colliding against her lips. Her heart skipped a beat and goosebumps covered her whole skin, shaken with emotion. V wrapped her body with his arms tighter, approaching her as close to his trunk as he could, making her shiver furiously. Evey trapped his face again, needing to kiss him again. However, a bunch more of needs were hitting her at once.

“I need to see you,” she gasped when she backed a bit, caressing his cheeks with her thumbs. “Please…”

He inhaled brokenly and started to tremble a little. He said nothing, nevertheless, and she knew he was afraid, doubting himself. She could imagine how different he might look. Evey didn’t care a single bit and would make sure he knew that.

“I don’t mind…” She whispered lovingly. “I won’t flinch. I won’t react badly. Trust me.”

“I don’t look how you remember, at all,” he said with a low, trembling voice.

“So, what? You are you,” Evey stated with confidence.

V breathed out and she could feel him trembling more. “Stand up,” he asked gently and she got out of him right away. She felt him standing up as well and his hands on her shoulders, moving her a little to a side. “I’ll turn on the light but… Don’t turn around, please.”

“Okay,” she nodded, although he couldn’t see.

She heard him stepping away slowly and felt her stomach stirring with nerves. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was beating wildly, feeling alive for the first time in five years. When the light turned on, revealing the living room again to her eyes, she squinted a little and her breath caught for a moment. He advanced to her again, until she felt him standing behind her back.

He was incredibly quiet, not even the sound of his breathing arriving at her eardrums. She moved her hand backwards, searching one of his, until interlacing their fingers, trying to give him strength silently.

“Can I turn around now?” She whispered, waiting, the nerves eating her.

He breathed again, inhaling deeply. “Yes.”

At his confirmation, Evey moved very slowly, the tears filling her eyes even before they locked with his blue gaze. She let them fall, when she saw the face of her resurrected lover.

The paleness of his skin had faded away in the regard of a vivid fire, marring his features like a piece of strangely beautiful lace. Their shape hadn’t changed; just his nose had suffered a little on its nostrils and his ears had been eaten away a little. However, his black hair and eyebrows had completely disappeared.

V furrowed sadly, his eyes filling with tears once more, and Evey approached to cup his face again, smiling, feeling her whole being coming alive.

“You’re still beautiful,” she whispered, standing on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss against his mouth. “I’m so glad to see you again…”

He closed his eyes, shedding the tears as she kissed him deeper. They moved closer soon after, hugging each other tightly. V hid his face on her shoulder and she did the same, rejoicing in his presence, holding him as he started to cry openly.

“I won’t let go of your hand this time, V,” she whispered against the neck of his shirt. “I’ll never leave your side.”


	4. One fire burns out another's burning, one pain is lessen'd by another's anguish

They had been sitting on the sofa for a while, after what happened. Evey wanted to talk everything out and V gave in willingly. It hadn’t been easy for him to open up completely about his last five years and his voice broke every time her eyes watered, showing incipient tears, his strength fading before her suffering. However, he kept going, because she was there, holding his hand.

He had been trying to conceal at all cost during those three months, just being able to breathe, to cry, when he was alone. He had started to feel consumed soon after the day he took her to the Gallery, realizing how much he was still on her mind, how she loved him still. V had kept with his plan because he knew she deserved better. Evey had met and fallen in love with a free and lively man; now, he was scarred and broken. He would have given everything to be able to tell her the truth, but knew it wasn’t a good idea.

However, Evey had caught him. She had seen through him and discovered him even if it wasn’t her intention. At first, he had lied, trying to keep his path away from her. But, when he witnessed her breaking completely before his rejection, V knew he couldn’t continue doing that. If she wanted the shattered pieces of him, he would give them to her. He was unworthy and not enough for her now, but couldn’t handle anymore hurting her.

So, he opened up and she had jumped onto him without hesitation. When she kissed him and hugged his body scarred by the fire, V felt as if he had fallen into Heaven. Her lips warmed his soul, breaking the ice of sorrow and loneliness he had been harbouring without noticing, returning to him a feeling that was more powerful than hate. He never thought he would be kissed by her ever again, that he would feel her love in this life. And, suddenly, he forgot why he had to be away. Every fibre of his body screamed for her and he couldn’t deny or lie anymore about how much he needed Evey. He just wanted to be with her.

That was why he agreed on being honest about everything that had happened to him, not only during his time in Larkhill. He told her the truth about his mind in those last years. If she had accepted him back, and continued to want him after that talk, he knew everything had to be clear.

And when the conversation ended, she just approached him, giving him the most passionate kiss that they had shared since he had revealed himself, leaving him breathless. He sighed in relief, letting her capture his mouth however she wanted, overwhelmed by how lucky he felt.

Evey pushed him down, making him lay on the sofa, not backing away from his lips not even for a moment. She pressed her body against his, making him moan softly at the sensation, realizing how much he had missed it. When she broke the kiss, she stayed hovering over his face, staring into his eyes with pure love in her gaze. V shivered, gulping, gazing back at her.

“I love you, V,” she whispered. “I’ll never leave you. And I promise, one day, you’ll feel better, you’ll be happier.”

V observed her for a moment in silence. “I know,” he breathed out, realizing that she had accepted him, even knowing everything he was now. “I love you too, my love.”

She smiled and rested her head against his chest. V’s breath hitched, hugging her tight against him, closing his eyes when her warmth hit him completely. She placed one of her hands on his pectoral, near her face, and drove it down to his body eventually. Evey caressed his side softly, giving him a series of soft caresses that made him start to tremble.

Evey had to notice, since she rose her head again, searching for his eyes. His mouth had dried suddenly, a feeling of what was ahead increasing the nerves in his stomach. He felt silly, looking at her, thinking about such things when he knew how he looked under those clothes. The thought of her seeing him completely naked left him terrified.

“Are you alright?” She asked, worried.

“Never been better,” he said, smiling softly.

She smiled again at his expression and his nervousness smoothened. Evey rose a little, placing herself higher, until her face was over his again. She kissed him again, with a sweetness that slowly turned more heated, rougher. He trembled harder, placing his hands on her hips tentatively. She moaned into the kiss and V felt as if he was about to melt, a rush of electricity shaking his insides.

All of a sudden, Evey got out of him, standing up. He looked up at her, confused, and even more scared when she offered him her hand, smiling fondly. Tentatively, he took it, raising on his feet as well. Interlacing their fingers, she started to walk towards the hall that took directly to his bedroom.

V was full of uneasiness. He would be sweating exaggeratedly if he hadn’t his epidermis almost completely destroyed. His mind was racing, debating with himself is he should allow Evey to immerse in that situation, if he should stop her before they crossed that door, if he was strong enough to deny something that he knew he yearned deep inside. Before he could come with a resolution, they were inside his room already.

Evey looked around the little room, observing the piles of books and the single bed in the middle, illuminated faintly by the light on a corner. He realized then that it wasn’t a romantic place at all. However, Evey turned to him, smiling as if she was in the most beautiful place on Earth. She stood on her tiptoes, placing her arms around his neck, and he saw perfectly how her pupils expanded, how her lids half-closed and her eyes filled with desire as she examined his features.

She kissed him passionately again, starting to walk backwards, taking him with her. He felt the need to stop, but the need to continue kissing her was greater. When Evey’s legs touched the edge of the bed, she broke the kiss, gasping softly. V clenched his jaw, marvelled at the image before him, asking himself for the millionth time since he met her how a beautiful creature like her had fallen in love with him. Even after he had turned into that monster, she still loved him, wanted him as if he had the same appearance.

Evey looked down at his shirt, taking her fingers to the neck and started to unbutton it. V returned to reality abruptly at that, realizing suddenly he couldn’t let her see the disaster of his skin. She was surprised when he trapped her wrists, stopping her.

“No…” He whispered, breathless, a hint of fear slipping into his tone. “Evey, we can’t do this.”

“Why?” She asked, clearly disappointed.

“I…” V started, although he knew his arguments wouldn’t be useful. She didn’t care; it was obvious.

He breathed in raggedly, trembling more, and she just smiled fondly, freeing herself from his wrists and continuing unbuttoning the shirt. When he reached the last button, she grabbed the edges of the garment and freed himself of it, lowering it down his arms. She stared at the tight compression shirt that still covered him, a bit of blush raising to her cheeks while contemplating the muscles of his trunk. Then, she looked into his eyes again, growing desire increasing in her hazel gaze.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” she whispered lovingly. “It’s just me. As it’s always been.”

V breathed in, cupping her cheeks and leaning over her, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against hers. “I don’t want to disgust you,” he admitted sadly.

“You could never,” she stated, a bit of outrage lingering in her voice. “I promise.”

Trying to keep collected, he gave her a hard kiss, feeling his nerves breaking when her hands found the edge of the compression shirt, slipping under it. He furrowed, trembling, expecting her touch and being afraid of it just as much. He trusted her. He trusted her with his whole being. That hadn’t changed. But he was so abnormal now, so different from the young handsome man she had met and fallen in love with. He was afraid to disappoint her. He was afraid to be unable to carry on with that, to be so afraid he couldn’t give into her. V was utterly terrified, like he never thought he would be again.

However, when her fingers reached his skin, caressing his abdominals softly, his mind stopped for a moment. A warm, sweet sensation took over his fears, freezing them. He uttered a soft moan at the feeling of her hands, touching him as if the time hadn’t passed, as if that was just another night after picking her up at work. If the dusty scent of old books wasn’t hitting his nostrils… If he wasn’t too aware of the dryness of his scars… If he wasn’t so concerned… He would have thought nothing had happened at all.

Evey broke the kiss and took off his compression shirt. When the warmness of his room hit his skin and she saw how her eyes fixed on his bare trunk, he felt devoid of air and his whole body filled with shakiness.

She observed him with adoration, with an increasing blush. When she sniggered, he felt as if his legs were about to give in. “Wow. You’ve…” She started, gulping. “Clearly been working out a lot.”

“Not…” V felt his mind wasn’t functioning, still feeling the ghost of her hands on him. He needed more. “Not intentional. Part of the whole hormonal process.”

“Oh,” she stated, blushing more.

He felt his throat tightening, his lungs burning. Astonished, he looked at the woman before him, examining him as if the scars weren’t there at all. She just had love and expectation in the mix in her eyes. When her hands rose, landing on his belly again, he sighed sharply, hit by the softness of her skin, the known touch of her hands. V felt the tears gathering in his eyes when she started to caress him, raising to reach his lips again.

The memories and the yearning exploded inside him stronger than ever before, and he dared to take his fingers to her the edge of her shirt, grabbing it and backing away to take it off. In awe, he kept motionless for a second, staring at Evey, her trunk bare before him now, her breasts free to his gaze. She approached as a magnetism inside his body had attracted her, sudden desperation in her features, and trapped his face hard between his hands, kissing him with hurry. V growled, shaken by her passion, and she grabbed his hands, taking them to her breasts, making him grip them.

She hurried to unzip his trousers as he caressed her body, him shivering at how needy her sounds were becoming. He couldn’t believe Evey wanted him that much, not minding at all about the horridness of his skin. And he was starting to lose his senses, slowly forgetting about anything that wasn’t Evey between his hands, yearning for his love, clearly wanting him completely undressed right away.

He backed away to take the last layers that kept him concealed, not taking his eyes away from her; he felt that, meanwhile he kept his focus on her, he would be able to keep going. When he looked at her as she hurried to take her trousers off too, every doubt escaped his mind. He couldn’t see his surroundings anymore; neither remember he was completely scarred. Suddenly, the only thing that existed for him was them, about to become one once more.

V was hit with a slight rush of dizziness when she stood completely naked before him, more blood raising to his brain or leaving it; he wasn’t sure. Probably leaving it and reaching another lower place so fast it made him feel ashamed. Evey hadn’t changed; she still took his breath away just by existing. How could he be worthy of that woman? She reached such level of preciousness he couldn’t wrap his head around it. V felt the need of kneeling, of submitting to the adoration for her that he harboured. Evey was the deity he wanted to be devoted to, forever.

Evey examined him as well, her eyes stopping longer on the unavoidable excitement her image had stirred, and blushed furiously, her face covered in bright red. For a second, V thought he would shatter. He couldn’t believe his eyes.

The unsettling sensation returned abruptly. Even if he could see how flustered she was, how lovingly she still looked at him, he wondered if he could be a poor competitor of himself. She was very still all of a sudden and V feared they had been too fast in going for it.

“I know…” He muttered, hesitating, feeling his mouth dry. “This is not pleasing. I won’t hold it against you if you dec…”

He was shut off when Evey crossed the distance between them, trapping his face and pulling him down, to her mouth. Breathless, as relieved as confused, he followed her pace, his doubts knocked off by her lips on his. Evey approached even more, their bodies glueing, skin against skin again, almost as close as two persons can be. V hissed brokenly, whined a little bit as she kissed him, the real feeling of her against him overwhelming him.

“I’ve never stopped wanting you,” she whispered in a rush when the kiss broke, looking at him with crushing intensity. “I’d be completely mad to not want you now. You’re still breathtaking.”

“Not in the way I’d want,” he muttered.

She let out a huff of unconformity. “You silly man… Come here,” Evey grunted, her tone dancing between exasperation and desire, pulling him to another demolishing kiss.

The gravity won over them when she moved backwards, sitting on the bed, and V followed, too enchanted to disattend her lips. However, which they both clearly tried to turn into a pivotal moment of the night, went wrong enough to make him stand straight again, shocked. He forgot how little the bed was, how to deal with their height difference, and ended up half stumbling against her, their foreheads colliding. Then, he backed off, standing while she rubbed her forehead, uttering a timid laugh.

Ashamed, he looked at her from his position, looking like a goddess, with her pale skin and her perfectly curled hair splayed wildly on the mattress, smiling and staring at him with joyful eyes. Not only he was very different, but also very rusty in that matter. In all matters, honestly.

“I’m very sorry, Evey,” he said, his voice trembling with worry. “Are you hurt?”

“It’s nothing,” she laughed, her eyes shining with affection as she sat straight, grabbing his hand. “Come back here.”

Letting out a shuddering sigh, his stomach twisting his nerves and his mind racing with embarrassment, he obliged, laying on his side, next to Evey. The bed was too little for two, which left them with no other option but lay down very close to the other, almost touching. Neither did mind.

V gulped, nervous, not knowing what to do. In fact, he knew exactly what to do, but didn’t find the strength to start, didn’t know what she wanted. His mind filled with memories of when they made love, of the things they did together. He remembered himself perfectly, having boldness and confidence that now were totally vanished. He wasn’t sure if he would ever return to that point, where he could handle her without hesitation again. Not that he didn’t feel it now. His whole body tingled with not just the physical need of feeling her, but also the powerfulness that made him feel cherishing her, making her feel pleasure and love. He still felt the need to give her everything. Now, although, he hadn’t as much to give as he wanted.

“Are you alright?” Evey asked, cupping his face, caressing his cheek with her thumb, worry clear on her features. “If you really need to stop this, I won’t be mad. I’ll be happy too if we just sleep tonight.”

“No, I…” V muttered, furrowing a little, sadly. “I’m fine.”

She gave him a little nod, still seeming a bit uneasy. “Just keep it in mind.”

“I will,” he whispered, barely.

She breathed in, looking down, where a few inches separated them. “Okay…” She said in the lowest voice, as if she was talking to herself, gathering strength.

More nervous even, he followed her hand with his gaze as she placed it on his chest, lowering slowly until reaching his length. When she wrapped her hand around it and stroked him softly, he uttered a rough moan, closing his eyes tightly and grabbing her shoulder, needing to hold onto something.

Evey stopped. “Have I hurt you?” She asked, clearly scared.

“No. Not at all,” he gasped, not believing how strong the feeling had been. “Keep going… If you want to.”

She resumed her movement slowly this time, unsure, but he melted right away, turning into a soul completely powerless and needy for the love of that woman. He hadn’t realized how much his body had forgotten what pleasure was until that moment. Those five years had been hell and loneliness. Not even he had delivered some relief to himself, something so basic as self-love. That part of himself had been completely asleep; he once thought that it was dead. But now, with his memories and the love of his life back, he felt desire and love again. And, luckily, she hadn’t left him, even after all, and was more than willing to make him remember.

Evey stroked him softly, sending waves of pleasure all through him. V came closer, pressing his forehead against hers as he moaned openly, trembling, feeling completely surrendered and not minding at all. She could handle him however she wanted; she was the only person who could.

When he managed to open his eyes, just a little, he found her looking at his expression, her face covered with blush and strong desire. V shivered at the sight, feeling in a safe territory again. That look, he knew it very well. Witnessing it once more, and not in his dreams, was pure Heaven.

“You still make this face,” she whispered, in the verge of a moan.

“Which face?” He breathed out, barely forming the words right as she didn’t stop stroking him.

“This one. I don’t know how to explain,” she said, her pupils expanding even more. “God… I love your face.”

He wasn’t in the position to protest, neither he felt he could, as she started to be a little harder on him, sending him directly into a void of pleasure that made him feel he was near the edge.

“God, Evey…” He moaned loudly, shutting his lids tightly again, sensing her sigh heavily. “Wait… Stop…”

She did, right away, and he looked at her, gasping. Realizing she was suddenly feeling anxious and confused, he was fast in reassuring. “I don’t want this… To end so fast,” he explained.

“Oh,” she muttered, worry vanishing. “I thought…”

“I’m alright,” he said, cracking a shy smile, and raising his hand to her face, caressing her tenderly, placing a couple of curls behind her ear. “More than ever, in fact.”

More relaxed, she smiled, blushing more and giving him an alluring look. “I think you can feel even better,” she muttered.

“I don’t doubt it,” V smiled wider, feeling his chest bursting with happiness.

His hand travelled lower, slightly, reaching her collarbone. Her lashes fluttered, her eyes almost closing at his touch, sighing with delight. He hesitated, astonished by how much she seemed to want for him to keep lowering.

“Don’t be afraid of touching me, V,” she sighed, almost pleading, when she saw he was motionless. “I want you to.”

He stared at his hand and, even if she assured him it was alright, he doubted. He feared that his rough, scarred hand would be unpleasant in her most intimate parts. He wasn’t sure but he knew how raspy and dry it could be. Maybe if he had some lube he would feel more sure about it… She remembered she used to love scented ones. They had tried a few, and usually laughed in the afterglow about how they would smell like raspberry for a week. However, obviously, he hadn’t thought of that happening at all. Nothing that had happened at all had crossed his mind. Consequently, he wasn’t prepared. How easy those moments had been back then…

V tried to shake off those thoughts. They were having a reunion, something he didn’t think it was possible. Even with his unsureness, it was going very smoothly. What they had, it was still there. They just had to find it, fuel it.

Gulping, feeling a cold shiver running down his nape, he took his hand lower, cupping one of her breasts, gripping it gently. Sighing in delight, Evey moved, laying up, and he moved with her, backing on his forearm to keep his fingers on her. Accommodated better, with him hovering a little over her, V continued, realizing he was barely breathing when his fingertips reached her navel.

When his hand found her folds, he found himself unable to look away from her face. Evey furrowed, her lips parting at the escape of a low moan, her eyes shining with pleasure. He moaned too, shivering furiously, shaken by such sight. He stroked her gently, still unsure about his scarring on her. However, he forgot about it soon after, drunk with her sounds of pleasure, with her eyes full of desire for him, and the feeling of how much Evey wanted him consuming him.

He couldn’t resist the need of travelling lower, entering her with one of his fingers. Evey cried out and he whimpered, closing his eyes, pressing his forehead against hers, being drowned in a powerful kiss right away. She was extremely warm and wet. She wanted him that much and he felt as if melting.

He inserted another finger, immediately, more secure, and Evey broke the kiss, her head falling over the pillows again, cracking a loud moan. He sensed how her hips arched, trying to give him better access, and how her hands were starting to grip him more desperately. Opening his eyes, he stared at her, falling apart under his attention, surrendering willingly.

V felt ashamed when a bit of rage reached his mind in that very moment. Five years of that had been stolen from him. Five years of being with his only love. Surely, a lot more had been stolen he wasn’t aware of now. Although… Had he stolen from himself? Wasn’t as well his fault? If he had been more cautious, maybe nothing would have happened at all. Even so, could they have a normal life again, once everything was over? He doubted it and he started to feel on the edge of a void again.

As if she had noticed, she gripped him tighter, gasping, crying out, and stared with demolishing passion into his eyes. “I’ve missed this so much,” she moaned openly, showering him with pure adoration. “I’ve missed you so much, V…”

His mind clouded with her again. _No time for unsureness_ , he repeated to himself, _just her. It’s just her now_. _It’s just us_.

Evey broke, crying out, bursting through her climax, and it startled him a little. He hadn’t realized she was so close and he damned himself for having lost himself in his doubts in that moment. However, witnessing that moment returned him the joy of the moment, sensing her already sweaty, gasping with pleasure echoing through her voice, trembling under him. His body warmed up more, his heart bouncing again with nervousness and delight.

She looked at him, recomposing slowly, and her desire sent a series of waves of shivers through his body. Cupping his cheek gently, she examined his face, pure love mixing with pure yearning.

“I want you now, my love,” she whispered lovingly. “All of you. Make love to me.”

V sighed, starting to tremble again. “It’s been a long time,” he said, his voice not steady at all, needing to warn her. “I… I don’t know… I might be very out of shape.”

She tittered, giving him a smile of amusement. “It’s been the same time for both of us,” she said. “You don’t have to worry.”

Evey rose her head to reach his lips, giving him a sweet, slow kiss in which he rapidly felt immersed. She didn’t back much when it broke, keeping her eyes on his, caressing his cheek.

“Besides,” Evey muttered with a heated tone, “the only thing that can be done to get in shape again is practising, don’t you think?”

“It is,” he tittered, feeling his face burning suddenly.

“It’s like riding a bike. You can easily remember how it’s done,” Evey said with humour, clearly trying to give him confidence.

He couldn’t help the feeling that he was breaking the mood absolutely. Why was it being so hard for him? Why couldn’t just give in? He wanted to be where he was, absolutely. Would the fear of disappointing her last much? V was starting to feel helpless, thinking that maybe their dynamic would be tainted with it from now on. He didn’t want that. He had to fight it.

V kissed her, afraid, feeling the burning sensation of restrained tears in his throat when he placed himself between her legs, when she hugged him, clinging onto his back. He felt the warmness of her body, the softness, and the need making him whole tingle. His mind was racing and hadn’t had a single thought at the same time.

“It’s alright,” she whispered, reassuring, as if she could hear inside his head, and encircled his hips with her legs, pushing him down.

A feeling of safety shook him at that. Holding his breath, trying to contain his fears even if for a moment, he found the strength to keep going. His body still remembered. With a simple movement of his hips, he felt the tip of his length brushing her entrance, and, with another, he pushed himself into her to the hilt.

Both of them moaned at each other, their eyes locked at the pleasure of oneness took over them. V, as if he had been possessed by her, finally lost himself.

Held by her hands, he moved, thrusting into her with soft movements, wanting to appreciate every second of the feeling of their bodies connected, of her fingers dipping on his flesh, of her eyes watering with emotion. His mind went completely blank and his senses took control of the moment.

V felt his body aching with a pain that wasn’t completely physical. He was overwhelmed, feeling as if he was reviving, unfreezing. Finally, he felt truly home. He was safe, loved, wanted... He returned to who he was, to who they were together. She was right: he had remembered easily. And, with it, V had hope for the first time in forever.

When she moaned his name, everything, every barrier, broke down inside him, unleashing the fears and the desires. He moaned her name as well, kissing her, searching for one of her hands, needing to interlace their fingers in a strong grip, taking her with harder thrusts. He drowned in her, relieved, scared, and utterly joyful. He didn’t need to pretend anymore. He was safe there. He could be human again, could be weak, and needy, and he could cry, scream… He could be Victor again, just as much as he could be V. The line between his both sides blurred and he found finally that he was whole in that sense.

He let the tears fall. She realized and sharp concern reached her eyes. However, he just kissed her passionately. “I love you, Evey,” he moaned, breathless. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she breathed out, understanding, although the worry didn’t disappear completely.

V hid his face on her neck, his body trembling, slowly crumbling at the pleasure that was winning over his strength. He recognized the waves of electricity across his body and how his head started to spin, making him a bit dizzy, knowing he was very close of the edge. When her moans became rough cries, full of desperation and need, he didn’t need anything else to fall into the void of her. He found his release at last, with an intensity that went beyond the simplicity of a sexual climax. At the moment his body gave in and his heart surrendered to Evey completely again, V knew he had gotten back his forever.

They moved eventually, although he couldn’t discern when, still lost in the residual sensation of his pleasure. He laid face up while she rested her head on his chest, with one of his arms encircling her, giving her soft caresses on her forearm. She started to trace invisible lines over his chest with her fingers.

“See?” She muttered when their breathings returned to normal. “I told you you’d remember fast.”

“I just hope I haven’t been too ungraceful,” he whispered, feeling extremely relaxed. He didn’t know when was the last time he had felt so at ease.

“Not at all,” she rose her head to look at him, smiling slyly.

He caressed her curls, now messy, and smiled too, pure happiness caressing his soul. “I’m glad, then,” V muttered, still amazed he was so happy, so whole again.

She approached to give him a quick kiss and then backed away just an inch, staring at him with a bit of worry. “But are you okay? Truly,” Evey asked, concerned.

“Yes, my love,” V said, not masking at all how blessed he felt, his features lighted up with those feelings. “I… I feel complete now. I am happy. I just… Forgot how that was. And feeling you has returned everything to me.”

Her eyes watered and kissed him again, with a hardness that left him breathless again. However, when she backed away, he was surprised by the fight in her eyes.

“We,” she stared, remarking that word resoundingly, “will get everything that’s ours back.”

V was speechless at that, feeling her hands on his face, trapping him as if she wanted for him to be very focused on her words. And he was.

“Tell me about your plans,” she demanded. “Train me. Teach me. But let me help you, for real. Your vengeance is my vengeance now.”

“No,” he said, reclining, getting off from under her, suddenly shaken by her words. “I won’t let you split my demons. I won’t share this disgrace with you.”

“You have already,” she insisted, not hesitating at all, sitting as well, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep him close. “Your suffering is mine. Even if you don’t want to share, I’m connected to you. Whatever you feel, I feel it too. Consider it the other way around: wouldn’t you want to help me destroy whoever who made me go through such hell?”

He felt cornered. “Yes, but…”

“No ‘but’,” she cut him off with a kiss. “We’ll work together and we’ll get our lives back. I won’t accept objections.”

“This is very dangerous, Evey,” he said, furrowing sadly, gripping her waist and pulling her to him, her sitting on his lap. He caressed her face with both hands, stroking her hair as well.

“Everything is dangerous now,” she argued, furrowing as well, serious. “I refuse to stay here while you go alone to affront this. I won’t let you. I’m here now, with you.”

“And I want you to keep being here,” V muttered, feeling his chest heavy. “Alive. Safe.”

“Where is the man who claimed fighting is the only way to be free?” She gripped his face tight. “Why am I an exception suddenly?”

He pressed his lips on a thin line, feeling a complete hypocrite. He had gotten her back and wasn’t willing to lose her again. He would have to modify his plans to return to her now, as well.

“Look:” she said, placing herself even closer, “if you don’t let me help, I’ll grab a maze or a sword or something from the armoury when the Fifth arrived and I’ll go on my own, without knowing absolutely nothing and being the most careless I’ve been in my whole life. I promise I will. I know where your armoury is. I’ve been there. So, if you want to keep me safe, let me work with you.”

“I feel coerced.”

“Because I’m coercing you,” she stated, containing a smile, trying to keep serious.

“Where’s your kindness and softness, my love?” He joked a little, trying to soothe his own uneasiness.

“Gone until we end the totality of bastards who did this to you,” she stated clearly. “And who had broken this country so horribly.”

V was as much as startled as impressed. She would never have said something like that five years ago. Before that strength, he found very difficult to refuse.

“Alright,” V agreed. “You win.”

Evey smiled happily and kissed him again, the passion resuming very quickly. All of a sudden, she uttered a sound of surprise and broke the kiss abruptly, leaving him confused and, he had to admit it, needy again. She had a sudden bright light in her gaze, the one that just a realization could ignite.

“I’ve forgotten,” she said. “There’s another thing.”

“What?” He furrowed.

“You need to do something,” Evey muttered. “And it can’t be delayed more. You’ve been pushing it aside enough.”

V hadn’t a single clue of what that meant. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

She smiled widely. V awaited, breathless.

“You have to call Allana.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the end!
> 
> I've enjoyed very much writing this! I hope you enjoyed it as well! <3 You can find me on [Tumblr](https://nuryrune.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Bye! <3


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